EVALUATION OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS AMONG OLDER DEMENTIA PATIENTS

Objectives: To assess the nutritional status among older dementia patients. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study on 87 dementia patients aged ≥ 60 years old who were examed or treated at National Geriatric Hospital. Patients were interviewed according to the uniform questionnaire, the nutritional status was assessed by MNA-SF, and dementia was diagnosed by neuropsychiatrists following DSM-5 criteria. Results: The mean age of the patients was 76.8±1.2 years, female patients accounted for 65.5%. The mean score of MNA-SF was 9.6 ± 2.4 points. The prevalence of malnutrition was 18.4%, and the risk of malnutrition was 59.8%. Dependence in activity daily living was associated with malnutrition or risk of malnutrition (OR = 20.5, 95%CI: 1.06 - 386.12) in the univariate logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: The study showed a high proportion of dementia patients who were malnourished and at risk of malnutrition. Dementia patients with dependence in activity daily living have more risk of malnutrition.